


When to Ignore the Rules

by Silver_Queen



Category: Pundit RPF, Pundit RPF (US)
Genre: Character Study, Comment Fic, Community: fakenews_fanfic, Foreign Correspondents, M/M, Romance, Slash, journalists in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-08
Updated: 2011-03-08
Packaged: 2017-10-16 04:37:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/168486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silver_Queen/pseuds/Silver_Queen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anderson doesn't want to go to Wisconsin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When to Ignore the Rules

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the "desperation" OT challenge at fakenews_fanfic on LJ.
> 
> Ayman Mohyeldin is the Egypt correspondent for Al Jazeera English, based in Cairo.

The call comes precisely when Anderson expected it to come, and the message is exactly what Anderson expected it to be.

CNN is denying his request to return to Egypt.

Again.

Despite the futility of the exercise, he makes a calmly passionate, superbly reasoned plea.

"It's the perfect time for an update on the Egypt situation. Just a few days ago they replaced the prime minister. All the state security forces' secrets are coming out. There's proof of torture, murder, conspiracies, you name it, and people are in an uproar. They're voting on constitutional amendments in a few days. All the networks are focusing on Libya now, so no one has any correspondents in Egypt anymore, which means we could get the scoop on Egypt's revolutionary aftermath."

Anderson does a good job disguising both his desperation and the real reason behind it, namely a certain Egyptian reporter for a certain Arab network, whose face Anderson is sick of seeing only through a computer screen, and whose skin Anderson has not touched in entirely too long. CNN won't let him take vacation time until next month, but Anderson doesn't think he can wait that long to make Ayman curse half in English and half in Arabic again.

In spite of his eloquent reasoning, the CNN exec's answer is the same as the first two times he asked: "Libya is the hot international story now, and we can't send you there. If you want to travel so badly, go to Wisconsin like we keep telling you. We need you there."

Only Anderson doesn't want to go to Wisconsin. Yes, it's bad business not to go, and yes, it's selfish not to devote 100% of himself to cover what stories he's allowed to cover, and yes, it's unethical to give preference to a particular story based on personal feelings.

But Anderson has spent the past twenty-odd years living his life according to the rules of journalistic integrity, hiding parts of his very identity in the process, and he's finally, _finally_ found someone who can cut right through that oppressive shroud of objectivity/responsibility/impassivity and render him just himself. Just Andy.

And he'll be damned if Wisconsin can't hold their own without Anderson Cooper getting involved.

So this time, instead of responding, "Thanks anyway," Anderson says firmly, "In that case, I'm taking a week-long leave of absence. Deduct it from my paycheck or whatever. I don't care. And no, I'm not telling you where I'm going."

He starts to hang up, changes his mind, adds, "Oh, but don't be surprised if I turn up in a week with mysteriously obtained footage from Cairo and use it on the air."

He hangs up then, switches his phone off, unplugs his desk phone, and pulls up Expedia on his computer.

Three hours later he's boarding a plane.

(And it turns out he probably should have called first because Ayman's pretty busy covering the catalysis of a brand-new political order in his country, and there's a myriad of reasons why Anderson can't tag along with an Al Jazeera crew in the city.

But Anderson can amuse himself, skulking through newly familiar streets capturing footage that he'll persuade Ayman to translate for him later.

And Anderson can look up a recipe for that Egyptian dish that he knows Ayman likes and have it ready when Ayman comes home, and when it turns out badly because Anderson's not so good at reading Arabic food labels, he can make it up to Ayman in other, more universally-understood ways.

For one week, he can sit on the balcony at night, gazing at the city lights and feeling fuzzily domestic, Ayman's heartbeat against his cheek.

When Ayman gives nightly reports to Doha over a live feed from an anonymous rooftop, Anderson can stand off to the side and quietly enjoy watching Ayman do his thing.

And he can keep watching as Ayman wraps up his report, signs off to Doha, and turns immediately to Anderson, dark eyes lighting up, smile peeking out, heavy shroud of professional self-nullification falling away like it's nothing.)


End file.
